While the tragedy of human suffering at the hands of the Islamic State is well know, their destruction of Iraq and Syria’s cultural heritage remains on the fringes.
By: The National Bacon |
| A remarkably well-preserved Roman Parade Shield found at Dura-Europos |
The news of the past weeks has painted us an all too
powerful picture of the violence and destruction brought to the Middle East by
the rising tides of fortune for the Islamic State (IS). There seems to be little stopping this
latest incarnation of radical Islam from growing stronger and defying nearly
every tenant of international law and human decency laid down through the hard
work of so many diplomats, soldiers, and humanitarians in the decades since the
end of the Second World War.
We hear of the slaughter of the Yazidi, Shiite, and Christian minorities at the hands of the IS, however the slaughter of culture by the IS has another face. The rich archaeological heritage of Syria and Iraq is being violated at a alarming pace; much of it being sold to finance the strategic goals of the IS and further their campaign of conquest. Syria and Iraq are part of what is referred to as the Fertile Crescent; an area that is known as the cradle of civilization. This region produced some of the earliest phonetic writing, codified laws, and the some of the earliest large cities to name only a few features of early-civilized life. The archaeological heritage of Syria and Iraq span 10,000 years of human history and include Babalyonian, Greek, Roman, early Islamic, and Medieval sites. In a recent article produced by National Geographic the extent of the destruction is described for sites such as Dura-Europos, a archaeological site that has produced artefacts priceless to the record of human history. Now the site has been reduced to a moonscape by looters who will sell their ill-gotten gains on the antiquities black market.
We hear of the slaughter of the Yazidi, Shiite, and Christian minorities at the hands of the IS, however the slaughter of culture by the IS has another face. The rich archaeological heritage of Syria and Iraq is being violated at a alarming pace; much of it being sold to finance the strategic goals of the IS and further their campaign of conquest. Syria and Iraq are part of what is referred to as the Fertile Crescent; an area that is known as the cradle of civilization. This region produced some of the earliest phonetic writing, codified laws, and the some of the earliest large cities to name only a few features of early-civilized life. The archaeological heritage of Syria and Iraq span 10,000 years of human history and include Babalyonian, Greek, Roman, early Islamic, and Medieval sites. In a recent article produced by National Geographic the extent of the destruction is described for sites such as Dura-Europos, a archaeological site that has produced artefacts priceless to the record of human history. Now the site has been reduced to a moonscape by looters who will sell their ill-gotten gains on the antiquities black market.
It is a sad state of affairs for the heritage of the region
to say the least; when a nations cultural heritage is destroyed it not only
murders its past, it murders its future.
No comments:
Post a Comment